Repeal of the military's ban on open
gay service should be implemented quickly, rather than phased-in, a
new study released Tuesday by the Palm
Center concludes.

“This study shows that we already
have an enormous amount of information to guide this process, and
suggests that another year of analysis, or a years-long
implementation process, may be unnecessary,” Nathaniel Frank, the
principal author of the study, told On Top Magazine Monday in
an email.

The study, Gays in Foreign
Militaries 2010: A Global Primer, is the largest-ever to look at
how foreign militaries integrated gay troops.

The study's conclusion – that swift
implementation is key to success – runs counter to what top
Pentagon leaders have proposed. “Swift, decisive implementation
signals the support of top leadership and confidence that the process
will go smoothly, while a 'phased-in' implementation can create
anxiety, confusion and obstructionism,” the report says.

“Other countries, particularly
Britain, Canada, and Israel, experienced very similar cultural and
political debates on this issue prior to lifting their bans,” the
study says. “Opponents raised concerns that an inclusive policy
would undermine morale, recruitment, retention, cohesion and
discipline, and pointed to polls suggesting that service members
would leave if bans were lifted.”

The report, however, concludes that in
foreign militaries, the introduction of open gay service did not
create widespread disruptions. Procedures lifting policies that
discriminate against gay and lesbian service members in foreign
militaries have been “highly successful” and have had no negative
impact on morale, recruitment, retention, readiness or overall combat
effectiveness.

“In Britain and Canada, roughly two
thirds of military respondents in polls said they would refuse to
serve with open gays, but when inclusive policies were implemented,
no more than three people in each country actually resigned,” the
researchers say.

Pentagon leaders have publicly
acknowledged their support for repeal of the ban, implemented in 1993
and known as “don't ask, don't tell,” but have also said they
would conduct a year-long study on how best to implement repeal
should Congress overturn the law.

“These include potential revisions to
policies on benefits, base housing, fraternization and misconduct,
separations and discharges, and many others,” Secretary of Defense
Robert Gates told a key Senate panel considering the issue earlier
this month.

General David H. Petraeus, commander of
United States Central Command, agreed, saying the review “will
suggest the policies that could be used to implement a change if it
does come to that” during a Sunday appearance on NBC's Meet the
Press.

The U.S. military has a long tradition
of considering the experiences of other militaries when confronted
with similar issues, the study added.